Tool for handling batteries



Oct. 26, '1943. J. P. GANTT TOOL FOR HANDLING BATTERIES- Filed April 5, 1943 3nnentor (Ittorneg Patented a. 26, 1943 l3 Qlai'rns, (01. 294-99 1 I This invention relates to anapparatus for carrying objects such as b'atteries andthe like from place to place. -More 'sp'ecificallyfiit re;- lates tea-handle having -a plurality of gripping means for engaging an article, the tenacity-with which said gripping ineansengages the article being directly in proportion tothe weight" of the article being lifted, plus any gripping action which maybe applied by the hand: of the oper ator. V 0 I It is, therefore, an objectot thisinvention to provide a device for carrying,objectssuch as batteries and the like which has gripping means controlled by the weight of the article itself, and also can be 'controlled'bythe grip of the hand of the operator. Byfprovidingsuch a device, it is possible-"to carry heavybbjects from'place toplaceand yet-rest assuredjthat the grip which the holder has upon the object will increase er; th'an decreasedue to the weightof the object. f I 1...:

It is, another. object or this invention ,to provide an article of the class" described having a pair of gripping means associated therewith and rath f a flexible connection between said I'grippin'g' manswhereby the .distan cebetween the sam can be varied. By the provision of thisfe'at" e, the holder is adaptableto batteries which "have posts at variable distances apart.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improvement over my Patent No. 2,157,753 of May 9, 1939, by providing a removable gripper link between the two jaws for gripping each of the terminal posts of the battery so i that the gripper link can be slid upwardly on the jaw members after they have been manually pressed together, so that they can then be seized and spread further apart from each other should they, by use, lose some of their resiliency, and be disposed too close together to engage the terminal of a particular battery. Or, the lower ends Figure 2isfan elevation {of one end'of the in vention showing the grippingfnieans in released position; I f' 'gure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken angtne1mea -s-m i 'Referring{more-specifically to the drawing, the numeral lll 'indicates' afbatteryin dotted outline'gwhich is adapted! to be han'dled' invention. This batteryj-hasterminals I I and I2. Myjinvention comprises a handle member l3; which-is composed of any suitable resilient o endable m er l, s a ru ber ru jb ized orotherwise treated plies of fabric, "9' fact any suitable "nsulating material has f ic nt r ne iito "support t e We ht og J. a b ry- This e d e m mb r ha -T cured vtheret,o,j' by means of suitable rivets t a jaw" members l5 and, l6,.which are "turned inwardly. as at I l and I8, the. sharpened points Ill and 18 being adapted to grip the terminal ofa battery. The jaw, member I5 instead of having'a thickened portion: 'fo'r 'supporting' the gripping link, as'in my previous patent, has struck there-J from a ,lug or ear 20,. which projects inwardly, Immediately below theflugflfijthe jaw slopes inwardly, thus providing, asiirfa'ce 22 on which the link 25 rests." The jaw l5 slopes downward adapted to rest immediately below the lug 0r ear 20 and above the cam surface 22. The proximate ends of the gripping link, indicated by reference character 24 have suitable U-shaped members 27 loosely surrounding the same and the ends of a handle member 28 are secured to these U-shaped members 21 by any suitable means such as rivets 29. The outer ends of the gripping links are indicated by reference character 30, The member 28 may be composed of any Suitable material, such as webbing, leather, pieces of tire casing fabric, or any suitable material. Disposed on the lower side of the member 28 is a reinforcing member 32, such as a piece of wood. This is secured tothe member 28 by any suitable means such as rivets 33;

In operation, the jaws l5 and I6 normally are spread apart to a greater degree at their lower ends than the width or thickness of the terminal posts of a battery. This causes the knife edges l1 and I8 to be disposed 'on each side, but in spaced relation to the terminal of a battery when 1 the tool is placed over the battery as shown in Figure 1. With the palm of the operators hand resting on top of the handle member l3, the fingers of the operators hand engage the member 32, and by gripping the handle l3 and the member 32 and causing the member 32 to move upwardly towards the handle I3, the cam action by the riding of the portion 30 of the gripping link on the outer surface of the jaws I6, causes the knife edges l1 and; |81to be moved towards, each other to grip the terminal of the battery; asshown in Figure 1. With the battery thus gripped, the

operator lifts the battery, and all of the weight. of the battery rests on the strip 28. When the battery is desired to be released, itis placed on a suitable support, and thus the pressure. is re-., leased on the jaws l5 and I6, and the'edges' l1" and I8, due to their inherent resiliency, move apart from each other to the positionshown in Figure 2. Thus, the two can be immediately sepa-- portion '26 of the gripping linkwill ride above the car 20 upwardly ontothe jaws to where they are closer together, and then the lowerends of the jaws I5 and I6 can be seized and spread apart from each other, andthen the gripping link can be moved downwardly to a position beneath the ear 20, and thus by springing the .jaws apart from each other, they will regain their inherent resiliency to stay the desired distance apart at their lower ends. Or, the same result can be obtainedby squeezing the ends of the jaws l5 and 16 together and removing the gripping links en tirely from the jaws. f In the drawing and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific term are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for the purpose of limitation, the

- scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:- 1. A carrier for batteries having two spaced end ofeach of said linksand being engageable by thehar'id; of an operatorin the act of lifting the battery'to press said members together to grip .the terminals of the battery. A battery tool equipped with a pair of terminals, a resilient for handling batteries member, a pair of prongs secured to each end of the resilient member andengaging the terminals of a battery, one of the prongs being resilient and having a tendency to move away from the terminal with which it is associated, a lug projecting from oneof each pair ofmembers, arectangularlink having a=cross member loosely and removably confined below the lug, one end of each.

link slidably contacting the outer surface-of the 7 other of. the pair of members, a strap having its ends secured to the other end of each of said links, whereby when upward pull is exerted on the strap, the prongs will be pressed toward each other to grip the terminals, and the weight of the battery will cause said prongs to continue to engage said terminals until the battery has been placed in a state of rest.

3. A battery lifter comprising a resilient and of said prongs being adapted to be placed on each side of the terminal of a battery, a link removably secured on one 'of the prongs and slidably engaging theother prong, said links being slidable upwardly on the prongs or removable from the prongs when the prongs are manually pressed towards each other, a strap connecting the proximate ends of the links, said strap being adapted to be engaged by the hand of the operator to exert upward pull of the strap to thereby cause the prongs to grip the terminals sufficiently to. lift the battery as the upward pull of the hand of the operator is increased.

' JACOB PLANNIE GANTT. 

